Google has reached a settlement in a lawsuit accusing the
tech giant of clandestinely tracking the online activities of users who
believed they were browsing privately. The terms of the settlement, filed in
the Oakland, California federal court on Monday, await approval by US district
judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Google Settles Lawsuit Over Private Browsing
Valued by plaintiffs' lawyers at over US$5 billion and potentially as high as $7.8 billion, the agreement sees Google paying no damages, but individual users retain the right to pursue legal action against the company for damages.
The lawsuit, initiated in 2020 and covering millions of users who engaged in private browsing since June 1, 2016, alleged that Google's analytics, cookies, and apps allowed it to unlawfully monitor individuals who used Chrome's "Incognito" mode or other browsers' "private" browsing settings.
As part of the settlement, Google will enhance disclosures regarding data collection during private browsing sessions and will enable Incognito users to block third-party cookies for a period of five years.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda emphasized the company's satisfaction with resolving the lawsuit, which it consistently deemed baseless.
Google's Policy of Not Associating Data with Individual Users
Castaneda reiterated Google's policy of not associating data with individual users when they use Incognito mode and expressed willingness to delete old technical data that was never linked to specific individuals or used for personalization purposes.
David Boies, representing the plaintiffs, hailed the settlement as a significant step towards demanding transparency and accountability from dominant technology firms.
The preliminary settlement, reached in December, forestalled
a scheduled trial on February 5, 2024. While the terms were undisclosed at that
time, the plaintiffs' legal team intends to pursue unspecified legal fees from
Google in the future.